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In Texas, primary election results – not the November general election – often determine who will represent you in Austin. ATPE explains why in Part I of this “Primary Colors” blog feature for Teach the Vote.

We’ve written on our blog about how Texas legislative districts are often gerrymandered. The district map boundaries are drawn in such a way to favor a particular political party, making it easier for a candidate from that party to win election or re-election in that district. For this reason, it’s not uncommon for certain contested races to feature candidates who are all affiliated with the same political party. If the district is so heavily weighted toward one party, candidates from the other major party (not to mention independent and third-party candidates) may not even file for a place on the ballot. When this happens, the primary election becomes the final determinant of who will win that seat, making the November general election irrelevant for that particular race.

We’re certainly not suggesting that voting in the November general election is a waste of your time. (On the contrary, there are still scores of other races you should vote on in November!) ATPE is reminding our readers about this to illustrate just how important it is to be a primary election voter.

In 2020, there are several races in which all the candidates hail from the same political party. In these districts, the winner of the March 3 primary election wins the whole kit and caboodle, facing no opposition in November. If you happen to live in one of these Texas House districts, make sure you learn about the candidates who are running in either the Republican or Democratic primary election, because one of these individuals will quickly become your new state representative in 2021:

House District 9:
Incumbent Rep. Chris Paddie is seeking a fifth term in the House and being challenged by Mark Williams in the Republican primary. No other candidates filed to run for this East Texas seat, so the Republican primary election will determine the final outcome.

House District 30:
In Victoria, Rep. Geanie Morrison faces a challenge from Army veteran Vanessa Hicks-Callaway in the Republican primary. Morrison has held the seat since 1998.

House District 36:
Incumbent Rep. Sergio Munoz is being challenged by Abraham Padron in the Democratic primary for this Edinburg seat. It’s a familiar match-up between these two; Padron unsuccessfully challenged Munoz in the 2016 and 2018 primaries.

House District 37:
In 2018, Alex Dominguez prevailed in a winner-take-all primary election runoff in which he ousted longtime state representative René Oliveira for this Brownsville seat. Now the first-term incumbent Dominguez is preparing for yet another winner-take-all primary, facing a challenge from attorney Amber Medina in the Democratic primary.

House District 59:
Incumbent Rep. J.D. Sheffield of Gatesville faces two challengers from within his own party: Republican candidates Shelby Slawson and Cody Johnson, both from Stephenville. There is no one else running in November, but with three candidates on the ballot in this closely watched primary battle, a runoff might become necessary to determine the final winner.

House District 72:
San Angelo incumbent Rep. Drew Darby is being challenged by Lynette Lucas in this Republican primary race. Lucas sought to take the seat away from Darby back in 2018 but did not make it onto the ballot.

House District 76:
This is an open seat that will be decided by the Democratic primary. Rep. Cesar Blanco (D) is not running for re-election, opting to run for a Texas Senate seat instead. The only two candidates who filed to run in this House race are Democrats Claudia Ordaz Perez and Elisa Tamayo. Ordaz Perez is a member of the El Paso City Council, while Tamayo learned the legislative ropes working for both Blanco and El Paso Sen. José Rodriguez.

House District 80:
Incumbent Rep. Tracy King is being challenged by Danny Valdez. They’re both Democrats, and they’ve faced each before. In 2018, Valdez was unsuccessful in a similar challenge against King in this West Texas district.

House District 100:
This is a crowded race, but all the candidates in this Dallas district hail from the Democratic party. The newly minted incumbent is Rep. Lorraine Birabil, sworn in just this month following a special election in January. To hold on to the seat in 2021, she’ll have to overcome opposition from James Armstrong, III (runner-up in the special election), Daniel Clayton, Sandra Crenshaw, Jasmine Crockett, and Paul Stafford.

House District 131:
In Houston, incumbent Rep. Alma Allen faces two challengers from the Democratic Party: Carey Lashley and Elvonte Patton. Allen has held the seat since 2004, serving on the State Board of Education before that.

House District 141:
The longest serving woman and longest serving African-American member of the Texas Legislature, Rep. Senfronia Thompson faces Willie Roaches Franklyn in the Democratic primary this year. Roaches Franklyn is a school counselor and administrator hoping to unseat the inimitable “Ms. T” in this Houston battle.

House District 147:
Rep. Garnet Coleman, the incumbent for this Houston district since 1990, is facing two opponents in the primary. His Democratic Party challengers are Aurelia Wagner, a teacher, and Colin Ross, who runs a grease recycling business.

Additionally, there are several state legislative races in which no other candidate filed to run in 2020 against the incumbent. Thus, the current officeholder will retain the seat next year. These are the legislators who are already presumptive winners of another term starting in 2021:

Sen. Charles Perry, SD 28

Rep. Gary VanDeaver, HD 1

Rep. Jay Dean, HD 7

Rep. Kyle Kacal, HD 12

Rep. Ben Leman, HD 13

Rep. Will Metcalf, HD 16

Rep. Ernest Bailes, HD 18

Rep. James White, HD 19

Rep. Dade Phelan, HD 21

Rep. Oscar Longoria, HD 35

Rep. Mando Martinez, HD 39

Rep. Terry Canales, HD 40

Rep. Richard Raymond, HD 42

Rep. J.M. Lozano, HD 43

Rep. Sheryl Cole, HD 46

Rep. Mary Gonzalez, HD 75

Rep. Lina Ortega, HD 77

Rep. Art Fierro, HD 79

Rep. Brooks Landgraf, HD 81

Rep. Tom Craddick, HD 82

Rep. John Smithee, HD 86

Rep. Four Price, HD 87

Rep. Ken King, HD 88

Rep. Nicole Collier, HD 95

Rep. Charlie Geren, HD 99

Rep. Chris Turner, HD 101

Rep. Jessica Gonzalez, HD 104

Rep. Toni Rose, HD 110

Rep. Yvonne Davis, HD 111

Rep. Diego Bernal, HD 123

Rep. Ina Minjarez, HD 124

Rep. Armando Walle, HD 140

Rep. Ana Hernandez-Luna, HD 143

There are a handful of other races in which a single Republican or Democratic candidate faces opposition only from an independent or third-party candidate in November. In most of these cases, the major party candidate is the incumbent officeholder; Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), Sen. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio), and Rep. Cody Harris (R-Palestine) are just a few examples. One notable exception is in SBOE District 8, where incumbent Barbara Cargill is not seeking re-election. The only candidates to file in the race to fill this open seat were Audrey Young, a Republican educator from Lufkin, and Libertarian candidate Bryan Leonard, for whom little campaign information can be found.

Now that we’ve shown you just how competitive and meaningful the Texas primary elections can be, we hope you’re ready to cast a vote in the Democratic or Republican primary election. In Part II of this blog series for Teach the Vote, ATPE Lobbyist Mark Wiggins will share more insight on why it’s so critical to be a primary voter in Texas, especially in 2020.

Early voting in the Texas primaries runs February 18-28. Primary election day, known as “Super Tuesday,” is March 3, 2020.

ELECTION UPDATE: Special elections in three Texas House districts concluded on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. The victors were Gary Gates (R) with 58.05% of the vote in House District (HD) 28, Lorraine Birabil (D) with 66.28% of the vote in HD 100, and Anna Eastman (D) with 65.47% of the vote in HD 148. Read more on the results in this election night blog post by ATPE Governmental Relations Director Jennifer Mitchell.

Early voting for the primary starts in just under three weeks on February 18, 2020, which is also Educator Voting Day. Primary election day follows two weeks later on March 3, 2020. Remember that the deadline to register to vote in the Texas primaries is Monday, Feb. 3. Verify your voter registration status here.

As the primaries get closer, here are helpful resources for educators and the general public:

Learn more about candidates running in 2020 for the Texas Legislature or State Board of Education by checking out their profiles here on Teach the Vote, which include answers to the ATPE Candidate Survey (where available) and legislators’ voting records.

This week ATPE submitted public comments on three proposed changes to administrative rules that would affect public schools, educators, and students.

First, ATPE formally commented on proposed changes to commissioner’s rules that regulate school district-charter partnerships. Senate Bill 1882 of 2017 enabled school districts to partner with charter entities to operate some of their campuses, and newly proposed rules have raised some concerns for ATPE and other education stakeholders. Read our comments here.

Next, the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) is proposing changes to its certification rules that could benefit high school students interested in pursuing careers in the classroom. ATPE and the Texas Association of Future Educators (TAFE) submitted joint recommendations this week for the criteria associated with the educational aide certificate. Those interested in submitting input on this rule proposal can find more information here. The deadline for public comments is Feb. 3, 2020.

Finally, ATPE also shared ouir concerns with SBEC about rules relating to master teacher certificates that are slated to be eliminated as a result of last year’s House Bill 3. Those wishing to submit public comments on this rule review can find more information here. The deadline is Feb. 3.

As you can see, our advocacy for public education doesn’t stop when the legislative session ends. During the interim, it is important to stay engaged with the work of state boards and agencies implementing education laws and legislative committees as they study interim charges. Learn more about interim advocacy in this new blog post by ATPE Senior Lobbyist Monty Exter.

This week, Texans observed Holocaust Remembrance Week as designated by Gov. Greg Abbott after the 86th Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 1828 by Sen. José Menéndez in 2019. The Texas Holocaust and Genocide Commission (THGC) recommended the observance this week so as to include International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, which when Auschwitz was liberated. Also this week, in Washington, DC, the U.S. House passed H.R. 943, referred to as the “Never Again Education Act” to provide grants and resources for Holocaust education programs. Find more information and related links in this blog post by ATPE Lobbyist Andrea Chevalier.

The State Board of Education (SBOE) met today, Jan. 31, 2020, to conclude its week-long January meeting. ATPE Lobbyist Mark Wiggins attended the meeting and provided this update.

Member Tom Maynard (R-Florence), who chairs the Committee on School Finance/Permanent School Fund (PSF), updated members on the status of the fund. He reported that the PSF’s investments total $46.5 billion, and the fund is being utilized as collateral to guarantee $87 billion in bonds out of a $117 billion bond guarantee capacity. Of the bonds backed by the PSF, $85 billion of those are bonds for independent school districts, and $2 billion are bonds for charter schools.

The SBOE manages a portion of the PSF, while the School Land Board (SLB) under the General Land Office (GLO) manages the other portion. Legislation passed during the 2019 legislative session to address a dispute over PSF management expanded the SLB from three members to five, two of whom would be recommended by the SBOE. Those two members have now been seated on the SLB, and the SBOE is working on setting up a joint meeting in April.

The board spent much of the morning Friday discussing board training requirements for local school district trustees, and ultimately decided to maintain the current rules unchanged. Members also voted to give preliminary approval to curriculum standards for a new course on African-American studies, which would make Texas the fifth state in the nation to offer such a course, according to TEA officials.

Today, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released the 2019-20 accreditation statuses for Texas public school districts and open-enrollment charter schools. Accreditation statuses encapsulate a wide variety of factors, such as financial and academic accountability and compliance with reporting requirements. Districts and charters that are assigned anything other than an accredited status must notify parents and property owners in the district. Find your district’s status here.

The big election news this week involved three special runoff elections, most notably the race for House District (HD) 28 in Fort Bend County. In a race that drew national attention from both parties, Republican Gary Gates defeated Democrat Eliz Markowitz to keep the seat under Republican control. Voters also elected Democrats Lorraine Birabil and Anna Eastman to become new state representatives for HD 100 in Dallas and HD 148 in Houston, respectively. Read our recap of the special runoff election results from ATPE Governmental Relations Director Jennifer Mitchell here on Teach the Vote.

A new poll released by the Texas Lyceum this week shows Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders leading the field of presidential hopefuls among likely Texas Democratic primary voters, registering 28 percent and 26 percent support, respectively. Elizabeth Warren trailed at 13 percent, followed by Michael Bloomberg at 9 percent and Pete Buttigieg at 6 percent. The same poll showed Sanders polling the best out of the Democratic contenders in a head-to-head matchup with President Donald Trump. According to the poll, Texas voters gave Trump a slight edge at 50 percent compared to 47 percent for Sanders.

The next election is the statewide primary, early voting for which begins February 18 and lasts through February 23. Primary Election Day, known as Super Tuesday, is March 3, 2020. Remember that voting is the single most important way to ensure Texas will have pro-public education legislators working in the best interest of you and your students. Check in with our friends at the Texas Educators Vote coalition for election resources and to sign up for important election reminders. We also encourage you to check out the education-themed candidate forums taking place around the state and sponsored by the Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation.

Most importantly, make sure you are registered to vote in the upcoming primary election! The deadline to register to vote in this election is Monday, Feb. 3, 2020.

Voters in three Texas House districts hit the polls on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020, to elect their new state representatives. The special runoff elections in Ft. Bend County’s House District (HD) 28, HD 100 in Dallas, and Houston’s HD 148 were needed after those three state representatives resigned their seats late last year. No candidate earned enough votes in the original special elections on Nov. 5, 2019, to win any of these House seats outright. The winner in each of tonight’s runoffs will serve out the remainder of the current term of office, ending just prior to the start of the next regular legislative session in 2021.

Here’s a look at the results of the three special election runoffs held tonight:

HD 28 Runoff:

This was a race to fill the seat previously held by former Rep. John Zerwas (R-Fulshear), who resigned in 2019 to become executive vice chancellor for health affairs for the University of Texas System. As reported on the Texas Secretary of State’s website, a total of 30,074 votes were cast in this highly publicized runoff, representing an impressive 20% of the registered voters in that district. This figure exceeded turnout in the original November special election and is believed to be higher than any other Texas House special election taking place since at least 1992.

Gary Gates (R) earned 58.05% of the vote to win the race. He is a real estate investor from Rosenberg.

HD 100 Runoff:

This seat was previously held by former Rep. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) who resigned last fall after being elected Mayor of Dallas. Per the Texas Secretary of State’s website, only 2,479 voters weighed in on this all-Democratic runoff.

Lorraine Birabil (D) was declared the winner with 66.28% of the vote. She is an attorney from Dallas with a background in public policy.

HD 148 Runoff:

This race was to fill the remainder of the term of former Rep. Jessica Farrar (D-Houston), who also resigned in 2019. The Texas Secretary of State’s website reported that 6,915 votes were cast in this special runoff election.

Anna Eastman (D) won with 65.47% of the vote. Eastman is a social worker who previously served on the Houston ISD board of trustees.

Luis LaRotta (R), a Navy veteran from Houston now working in the energy industry, earned 34.53% of the vote.

Barring a special session, it is unlikely that any of the winners of tonight’s runoff will have an opportunity to vote on legislation this year before their terms expire in Jan. 2021. However, all six of the candidates in the above runoffs are also vying for a full term in these same seats during the regular 2020 elections, meaning that their names will be on the ballot again in the Texas primary election that is only weeks away. The winners of tonight’s special election will now have the advantage of claiming incumbent status during the remainder of this 2020 election cycle. Be sure to check out their candidate profiles here on Teach the Vote before the next elections on Super Tuesday in March 2020.

Early voting is underway this week in the special runoff elections in Dallas, Houston, and Fort Bend County. The special runoff in House District (HD) 28 in Fort Bend County has drawn national attention as Texas Democrats seek to capture a seat previously held by Republican state Rep. John Zerwas.

Republicans hold a nine-seat majority in the Texas House of Representatives, and Democrats are anxious to flip as many seats as possible in order to wrest control of the lower chamber heading into the 2021 legislative session. Democratic candidate Eliz Markowitz, who was endorsed by the pro-public education group Texas Parent PAC, was joined on the campaign trail this week by former presidential candidates Julian Castro and Beto O’Rourke. Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren also announced her support for Markowitz this week.

On the Republican side, the Quorum Report reported the Texas GOP is busing block walkers from all over Texas into Fort Bend to aid Republican candidate Gary Gates. The Gates campaign claimed their internal polling this week showed Gates up 13 percentage points over Markowitz. According to campaign reporter Jeff Blaylock, while Republican political consultant Derek Ryan’s analysis of the first two days of early voting show that only 46% of HD28 voters have recent Republican primary voting history but no Democratic primary history. Mail ballots in the HD 28 special runoff election have already surpassed the number submitted in the 2018 general election.

According to the Texas Secretary of State, 16.1 million Texans are now registered to vote. Voting is the single most important way to exercise your political voice, and early voting in primaries across the state begins in just a few weeks! The deadline to register to vote for the March 3 primary is February 3. Visit our friends at TexasEducatorsVote.com to find out how to register to vote and to access voter resources, including text reminders when an important vote is coming up.